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1.1 Define topic areas.

1.2 Determine number of sessions per topic.

1.3 Determine approximate attendance at each session.

2. Establish conference venue.

2.1 Research available hotel and conference space and reserve conference dates.

2.2 Define hotel room booking procedure.

2.3 Assign sessions to ballrooms.

3. Establish a call-for-speakers process.

3.1 Write speaker contracts.

3.2 Write marketing materials.

4. Administer speaker contracts.
5. Contact and sign up vendors for sponsorships.

The project description, project scope, deliverables, and work breakdown
structure will be progressively elaborated throughout the planning phase. As
more information becomes available and as you decompose deliverables, you may

discover elements of scope or the deliverables that need additional detail or
clarification.

Guidelines for Creating a WBS

Getting started creating a WBS can sometimes seem overwhelming. Once you start
breaking down your deliverables into smaller units of work, it’s tempting to
immediately put these work units in logical order and start assigning team members to
them. You’ll need to keep reminding the group that the purpose of the WBS is to make

certain each deliverable is identified (usually as a level-2 element) and that each
subdeliverable is decomposed from there. This isn’t the process where activities are put
into logical order or where predecessor or successor work is determined. That will
occur when the project schedule is developed. For now, focus on the deliverables and
their decomposition.

Although there is no one right way to complete a WBS, there are some tips you can use
to help be more successful. Here are some helpful guidelines to review with the project

team before diving into a WBS session:

Recruit knowledgeable resources. Do not try to complete the WBS yourself in the
interest of saving time. If you are not an expert on the deliverables, you will miss key
elements. You also want the team members to assist in this process so that they “buy

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